Accidental Saviour
by Fenik
Summary: “Okay Sora. Whoever loses this bet has to spend at least 10 minutes in that empty mansion at the edge of the forest." What no one realises, however, is that that old mansion isn't quite as empty as they think. SoRiku and side AkuRoku.


**Accidental Saviour **

It was 6 o'clock in the night and although it was still light outside, the fact that it was Halloween was only adding to Sora's worry. Tentatively taking another step towards the rundown mansion, Sora looked back to his friends egging him on from the safety of the sidewalk. "Go on Sora, no one's lived there for decades. We'll start timing as soon as you get through the door, remember 10 minutes!" Roxas encouraged, smirking slightly at the nervous expression Sora was wearing.

"That's easy for you to say," Sora grumbled under his breath, taking another two steps towards the paint-flaking front door.

Sora groaned as he remembered how he had gotten himself into his current situation. He should have known better than to make a bet with Axel. Axel obviously didn't mind bending the rules to his advantage.

"Okay Sora. Whoever loses this bet has to spend at least 10 minutes in that old mansion at the edge of the forest," Axel decreed, "Got it memorized?"

"The edge of the forest? But isn't that that empty house that looks like it's haunted?" Sora questioned, looking a little taken aback at Axel's condition. "Yeah, that's it. The one that those kids swore they saw a ghost watching them from the window at. Which is why it's perfect for a Halloween bet," Axel grinned, watching as Sora tried to look completely nonplused.

Finally nodding, Sora looked up and his eyes betrayed his competitive streak. "I'm in. When do we race?"

_A rush of air brushed quickly past him and Sora blinked in confusion, wondering what had happened to his red-haired friend. A voice called out to him from a distance, "The race has already started! Hurry up, Sora!" _

Muttering curses directed towards his grinning friend outside the fence, Sora eventually made it to the front doorway. The house looked even scarier up close. There was no way anyone could live here, not unless they were a murderer on the run from the police.

That thought made Sora freeze for a moment. What if there _was_ a murderer hiding out here? Would his friends hear his screams in time to run in and save him? Or would they panic and bolt, leaving him to fend for himself?

Casting an anxious gaze over his friends, he felt a little relieved. Roxas, his brother would never leave him, that's for sure. And if Roxas ran in to help, no doubt Axel would follow. He wouldn't ever let _'his dear Roxy'_ to face any danger without him there to protect him.

Hayner's confident grin reminded him of all the times that Hayner had sprinted to his side when he was in trouble, and although his forced smile betrayed his true fear, Sora knew that Demyx would rush in to aid him without a second thought.

Turning back to the door before him, Sora pressed lightly on the edge, almost expecting the entire door to fall backwards and slam into the flooring. When the door held tight against the force, Sora moved his hand to the doorknob and turned it.

The responding click seemed to echo through his entire body and as he pushed it open a little ways, Sora let out a breath he wasn't even aware he'd been holding. So far so good. He took a small step inside, peering around into the clouds of dust that seemed to smother the air itself. Another step and he was nearly all the way through the doorway.

Realising that maybe it was just this easy and that he wasn't going to be attacked by any dangerous criminals, Sora smiled and stepped more confidently. "Start the time guys!" he called out the door before he began to explore the strange environment.

Two rickety-looking staircases on opposite sides of the room made their way to the second floor and Sora decided that it would be best to explore the top floor before working his way back to the door and his friends. Walking up the wooden stairs on the left, Sora grinned as each step released its indignant shriek at being trod on.

If he had looked down, he may have noticed the markings in the dust that looked almost like they belonged to shoes.

Reaching the top level, he looked around the massive hallway, lined either side with dark, uninviting doors. A sense of adventure began to set in, and Sora felt his fear all but disappear at the thought of exploring this aged building. Who knows? Maybe he might find something worth retelling to his friends after this was over.

The first room he checked seemed like a guest room. It seemed empty and unused, the only things of note being the four-poster bed and the bare dresser by the wall. Closing the door in disappointment, Sora moved to the next door. As he turned the protesting doorknob, he started as something sounding suspiciously close to a cough reached his ears.

However, he didn't get the time to think any further as he realised too late that he had pulled open an over stuffed linen cupboard. The teetering piles fell and buried him under masses of stale, moth-eaten blankets. The weight was smothering and he found himself incapable to scream for help as a hand towel gagged him. Struggling his way out from under the small avalanche of cotton sheets, Sora dragged himself out and took in a few breaths of dusty air. Unable to miss the humour in what had happened, he snickered at himself and decided he'd use more care at the next door.

After a short battle of trying to stuff the towels and sheets back into the cupboard, one which Sora dismally lost, he shrugged and walked to the next entrance. Moving to the opposite side of the doorway to avoid any potential piles of blankets waiting to fall, he drew the door open.

Glancing inside, he saw that this room was more generously furnished than the first room and looked almost lived in. A massive bed occupied the corner, the light blue sheets pulled neatly across without so much as a wrinkle. Whoever had made this bed definitely had too much time to waste, Sora thought wryly. The image of his own bed, with the sheets strewn messily around popped into his head and he couldn't help but smile at the contrast between his war-torn room and this unnaturally tidy one.

It was only then that he realised what had been bothering him since he had entered the room. Something that, really, should have been obvious from the very start.

Over by the high-backed chair, on the table beside it, rested a lit lamp. The light filled the room and now that Sora noticed it, he wondered how he didn't realise it immediately.

Realisation suddenly struck him all at once and left his feet feeling glued to the floor. Someone must have lit the lamp. And that someone was most likely in the chair that was facing away from him.

A lump formed in his throat and as he slowly tried to creep back out the door, he prayed to any god that would listen to save him from the ghost/murderer/madman in the room.

He was up to the Roman goddess of childbirth when it happened. A slight creak in the floorboard echoed loudly throughout the room. Saying goodbye to the rest of his life, he winced and turned around.

He'd been right. Someone _had _been sitting in the chair. However, they didn't look anything like either a murderer or a madman. Although, his silver hair, pale skin and sleep-hazed eyes definitely didn't rule out the ghost possibility.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" he asked, his voice deep and inquisitive.

The man didn't look too worried about Sora's sudden appearance. Maybe Sora just looked too small to be much of a threat to anyone. He sounded more curious than anything, his eyes losing a little bit of their haze as they focused in on Sora.

"If you're looking for something to steal, I suggest you leave," he continued, taking another step closer to the shocked Sora.

"What? No! I - your house? My friends - was a bet – Axel – oh my god, are you real?" Sora stuttered, his eyes widening as he tried to process all his thoughts at the same time.

The man frowned, a look of confusion crossing his face. He stepped even closer and as he opened his mouth to speak again, the room was thrown into darkness. The lamp on the table had finally used up the last of its reserves and died.

Temporary blindness threw Sora into a panic and he raced towards where he believed the door to be, shouting all the way. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you! Please let me go!"

Finally managing to discern the entrance to the room, Sora shot out and down the hallway, completely forgetting about the pile of blankets he had left their on the floor after his battle with the linen closet. He tumbled over and his feet tangled in a clingy fitted sheet. Trying to both pull the annoying sheet off his feet and run proved to be too hard of a task for Sora and he miscalculated the distance of the first step on the stairwell.

His foot stepped out onto nothing and he windmilled his arms, trying to throw his centre of gravity back to prevent him from falling. Losing the battle, he began to fall forwards, only to be wrenched backwards by a powerful force.

Falling backwards into something solid, Sora looked up to see silver hair and a concerned face before everything slipped away.

Roxas stomped his foot. Sora was taking too long, and it was starting to get boring. Sure, he found Sora's obvious terror over something this stupid amusing, but he'd been gone for nearly 20 minutes now.

"Maybe we should go check on him?" Roxas suggested, looking over to his closest friend.

Axel shrugged noncommittally and answered with a smirk, "He's probably just trying to make us think he's been killed or something. Buuuuuutttttttt, if my dear Roxy thinks little Sora needs someone to race in and save him from the ghoulies, then I guess I have no choice."

Punching Axel's shoulder half-heartedly, Roxas tilted his face away to hide his smile of relief. Still smirking, Axel started to walk towards the mansion, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring up at the clear night sky. It really looked so beautiful away from all the lights of the town. Maybe he'd have to bring Roxas back here another night.

"Hey, who's that?" Demyx's scared voice brought Axel's attention back to the house and he stopped in surprise at the sight before him.

A tall, slender man with silver-hair was walking out of the house, carrying an unconscious Sora in his arms. He was stepping carefully and had Sora pulled tightly to his chest, as though he was afraid of dropping him.

"What have you done to my brother?!" Roxas's infuriated voice broke through the silence of the night.

Axel sprinted up to the man, stopping barely a metre away with a deadly scowl on his expression. "What did you do to Sora!" he demanded, his lips pulling back in a snarl and his fists clenching in anticipation of a fight.

The man looked up and their eyes met. He lifted Sora away from his chest in a way that meant for Axel to take him. Still wary, Axel hefted Sora's limp body into his arms and waited for the man to explain himself.

"I'm sorry for startling your friend, he obviously didn't know that anyone lived here. I didn't harm him if that's what you're thinking, he fainted from panic. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself when he wakes up. Please remember that someone lives here from now on," the man said in a soft voice, briefly casting one last glance at Sora before turning and walking back to his front door.

Axel nodded, the man seemed to be telling the truth, and if Sora told otherwise, they could always come back. An angry Roxas brushed past his arm, hostility radiating from him. Catching his wrist at the last second, Axel caught his eyes and shook his head.

"Sora freaked that someone was living here and fainted. That guy was actually trying to be nice. C'mon, let's get your brother home."

Roxas looked hesitant, the anger was fading and being replaced by understanding. His eyes darted down to rest worriedly on Sora's peaceful expression. "Yeah, maybe you're right…" he mumbled, before a small grin appeared, "That's a new first for you, right?"

Unable to retaliate since he was occupied by holding Sora, Axel let it slide just this once.

Hayner and Demyx weren't far behind. They reached Axel and looked at Sora with identical expressions of confusion and worry on their faces. "What happened?" Demyx asked, throwing a cautious look towards where the silver-haired man had disappeared.

"Sora's just a wuss. He's okay, he only fainted. Let's go, this house is kinda creepy and Sora will probably appreciate waking up in our house," Roxas said, beginning the short walk back to the town.

The rest followed, and no one looked back at the house where the strange silver-haired man watched their departure from his window.

Sitting up and taking in his familiar surroundings, Sora smiled. So that whole house thing had been just a nightmare after all. Though for some reason he couldn't understand, he almost wished that the house's owner were a real person. Then again, as the hazy green eyes flashed across his memory, that man was just a little bit weird. Who would voluntarily live all alone in a haunted mansion away from civilization? Probably someone who really didn't like people.

"Hey, Sora's awake!" sounded Demyx's voice from his side.

There were sounds of movement and a 'Get out of my way, Axel!' before suddenly four people were surrounding him.

Roxas was directly at his side, demanding in a loud voice what had happened back at the mansion. Axel was standing behind him, asking him if he was okay. Demyx was watching him with a relieved expression, running a hand through his hair as if to push away the stress that had accumulated. Hayner was smiling from his position at the end of the couch and flashed him a thumbs up.

"What happened back at the mansion…?" Sora echoed, turning to Roxas, "You mean that wasn't a dream?"

Roxas shook his head and was about to speak when Axel cut in, "Nope, and I reckon you probably owe that guy an apology. Firstly, for breaking into his house. Secondly, for fainting on him. Thirdly, for making him carry you all the way out to us. And lastly, for nearly getting his face beat in by us four when he came out with you unconscious. I just about thought that Roxy was going to lunge for his throat."

Sora's eyes widened at the new information and look down at his clasped hands. "Really? He carried me out?"

Roxas rolled his eyes that Sora had managed to only focus in on one piece of information. Especially _that_ piece. Demyx laughed and smiled, "Yeah. Like how a man would carry his wife over the threshold."

"So I guess now we know who the dominant one is in the relationship," Axel teased, watching in amusement as Sora's face darkened several shades.

"Axel, don't joke about that! That guy could've attacked Sora while he was still unconscious," Hayner broke in, bringing a more serious undertone back to the conversation.

All four pairs of eyes turned back to Sora, scrutinizing him. "Do you feel hurt anywhere?" Hayner pressed, his usual cheery smile replaced by a grim line.

Sora examined himself. His knee was a little sore, but that was to be expected, he _did_ trip over those blankets after all. Taking a look at his knee, his eyebrows shot up when he noticed a small, beige band-aid placed carefully under his knee. "Did you guys put that on?" he asked, pointing.

They all shook their heads before sharing a look with one another. "Looks like that's another thing you can add to the list of things to apologise for," Axel commented, beginning to think that they were really out of line by threatening that man when all he had done was help Sora.

"Well I don't feel sore anywhere else. He probably just put the band-aid on and took me to you guys," Sora concluded, feeling really bad about accidentally ruining that man's night.

Roxas nodded, he was now feeling very glad that Axel had stopped him before he punched that silver-haired man in the face in revenge. When he thought about it, he could have taken Sora to court for trespass, but according to Axel, he'd even apologised for frightening Sora. Although Roxas didn't have to like the creepy silver-haired man, he definitely held a high level of respect for him for helping his idiot brother.

"So, Sora. Are you going to tell us what happened after you went inside?" Demyx asked, drawing a pair of cerulean eyes his way.

Sora nodded and launched into the story, blushing as he got to where the blankets caught him by surprise, and getting exasperated looks when he admitted how long it took him to realise that someone else was already in the room.

The five friends stayed at Sora and Roxas's house after that, the incident all but forgotten as they joked around and pulled pranks on one another. It _was _Halloween after all, and Axel was taking full advantage of Sora and Demyx's naïve gullibility.

Finally it was time for sleep and the five bodies stretched out over the room, Sora managing to team up with Roxas and stealing the massive couch before Axel could claim it like he generally did. Closing his eyes and trying to ignore Roxas's feet constantly kicking him in the side, Sora's last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep were _'I wonder if that guy has friends that come and visit him…I hope he's not lonely…'_

Two Days Later

"Bye Mum, I'm going out now!" Sora called, the door already half open as he rushed out.

"Sora? But you haven't cleaned up the mess! Where are you-"

SLAM!

A sigh was audible. "Sora, you never change."

Sora raced down the street, trying to hurry before the rain clouds decided to shirk their burden upon his head. He hoped that the silver-haired man was at home when he arrived, but really, from the looks of it, the guy barely ever left so it was a safe bet that he'd be there.

Ducking to get through the hole in the wall, Sora made his way quickly through the forest around the town. The rain was falling heavier so he broke into a faster run, wanting to get out of the wet before he was completely soaked. Trust him to forget to bring an umbrella just in time for the rain to start.

The house came into view as he rounded the corner and Sora breathed a sigh in relief. As he reached the gates, he slowed down a little, not wanting to worry the man if he was watching from a window or something.

Walking down the middle of the yard, Sora's foot caught on an uneven patch of ground and he sprawled across the ground, landing on top of the package he had been holding carefully in his arms.

"The cake!" he shouted, lifting himself up with a horrified expression on his face.

Despite his – in his opinion - mature age of 15, Sora couldn't help but blink back tears at the destruction of the apology cake he'd baked especially for the man.

"Hey, you're from the other night, aren't you?"

Startled, Sora's stricken face lifted to find the silver-haired man leaning casually against his doorway. "I'm sorry! I made you a cake but, well…you can see what happened. I hope you're not angry," Sora exclaimed, struggling to rid his eyes of the stinging tears that had formed.

A surprised look crossed the older male's face and he pushed himself off the doorway and walked over, apparently uncaring about the rain soaking through his shirt. "Angry? I can't even believe that you'd bake me a cake. I don't even remember the last time I ate homemade cake."

He reached Sora and squatted down to his level, offering him a small smile. Up this close, Sora realised that the man wasn't actually as old as he had previously thought. He looked like he was only a few years older than Sora himself, maybe around 17. This prompted more questions from Sora, but he held his tongue.

"You know, this doesn't look so bad. It's definitely salvageable. Would you like to come inside?" the man offered, scooping the flatten cake packaging into his arms before standing.

"Um, really? Yeah, thanks," Sora choked out, still trying to recover from the fact that the man was being so kind to him after all he'd done to annoy him.

"You can clean the cake off your shirt inside if you like. Here, let me give you a hand," the man said, switching the broken package to sit under one arm, and presented the other hand for Sora to take.

Hesitantly, Sora reached out and clasped the man's hand with his own. It was surprisingly warm, considering the man's pale skin, and the man easily pulled him onto his feet. Sora couldn't help but stare into the other's eyes, their proximity allowing him to see their deep, emerald green.

"Uh…maybe we should get out of the rain," the older male suggested, looking slightly uncomfortable under Sora's intense gaze.

"Oh…yeah. Sorry," Sora smiled sheepishly, rubbing the nape of his neck.

The man just chuckled as he turned and walked back into his house, cake box tucked under his arm. Sora followed, walking through the doorway under much different circumstances than two nights before.

Although the circumstances were different, the place looked much the same as it did at nighttime. The dust still clogged the air and covered the floor, making Sora think that it was lucky that the older man didn't have any allergies.

"Through here," the man called, and Sora wandered into a medium-sized kitchen, that looked to be the cleanest room in the entire house.

He'd delicately opened up the box and was peering inside, obviously configuring a plan of attack. Retrieving something that looked like a metal spatula, he pressed the edges of the cake together, pushing it back up into his previous shape. He seemed completely concentrated on the task and Sora felt like laughing a little at his serious expression.

Smoothing over the icing, the man stepped back to see the effect. Sora's eyes widened, the cake looked exactly like it had when he had finished baking. "Um, if you don't mind me asking…what do you do for a living?" Sora questioned, looking back at the other.

"Sculptor," he responded shortly, effectively answering another one of Sora's questions.

"Oh, wow," Sora breathed, secretly full of admiration for the older man.

"Hmm, I've just realised that I never asked you for your name," the man mused, looking thoughtful, "My name's Riku, by the way. Thank you for the cake, though it really wasn't necessary."

Sora grinned cheerfully, secretly happy that he finally knew the man's name. "I'm Sora. And no problem, I just wanted to show you that I was sorry about coming into your house without warning."

The man, Riku, laughed again, and the smile that played across his features made Sora wish he had brought a camera. "It's fine, Sora. I probably shouldn't have left the front door unlocked anyway, but normally no one ever comes over to this area."

Sora nodded in understanding, most of the time he didn't bother locking the front door either. "Er, Riku…how old are you?" he suddenly asked, the question springing from him before he registered it.

Riku looked a little surprised but not offended. "17, why do you ask?"

So he'd been right. Only two years separated them, though Riku's demeanor made it seem like so more. Sora sheepishly replied, "Well, the first time I saw you, I thought you were really old because of your hair. And then when you came closer I thought you were around 30. It was only when I saw you in the sunlight before that I realised that we're only around two years apart."

Riku seemed like he wasn't sure how to react to Sora's statement, he looked insulted, contemplative, and amused, before finally settling on teasing. "Well that's okay. I had the same problem. First I thought you were infantile. And then I thought perhaps five. So, you're forgiven."

"Hey!" Sora protested, "I don't look that young!"

"And I don't look that old," Riku shot back, smirking slightly.

Sora shut up, defeated. Riku chuckled under his breath before turning back to the neglected cake sitting on the counter. "May I try some?" he asked, gesturing towards the treat.

"Yeah, of course! I baked it for you!" Sora consented, nodding and moving closer towards the bench.

Riku rummaged around in a cupboard before he produced two plates. Sneaking a look as to not appear rude, Sora noted that both plates were a spotless white. Now Riku had found two forks and a cutting knife and was slowly slicing through to the bottom of the cake.

Laughingly, Sora joked, "Hey, watch out. If you touch the bottom you need to kiss the closest girl!"

"It's my birthday?" Riku glanced over, his mouth slightly agape, "Wait, nevermind. You were making a joke. Sorry."

"Don't you know what the date is?" Sora asked, eyes widening at the news.

"Uhh…it's near September, isn't it?"

"It's November 2nd, Riku," Sora corrected, looking a little exasperated.

"Oh."

Riku seemed to consider something, the knife still halfway through the cake. Concluding his thought, he made eye contact with Sora and said, "No. I'm fairly certain my birthday isn't today."

Feeling a little sad that Riku couldn't even remember when his birthday was, Sora decided to brighten the mood. "Well, since you can't remember when it is, today can be your unofficial birthday! And then when you work out when it really is, you'll have two birthdays to celebrate!"

Riku stayed quiet for a moment, a smile tugging at his lips. Really, Sora was just too adorable for his own good. Hmm…when was the last time he'd even _thought_ that word, let alone, used it to describe someone?

"Thanks," he said, sincerity in his voice, "I can't remember the last time someone's been here with me to celebrate my birthday…"

Sora was thinking to himself as Riku turned back and finished cutting the cake. If Demyx were here, surely by now he'd be in tears at the depressing things Riku was saying. Sora himself, felt like he was already crying on the inside. On the spur of the moment, Sora stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Riku's slender waist.

Riku froze. "What are you doing?" he prompted, wanting to know why Sora's arms around him made him feel something close to joy.

Sora quickly stepped back, embarrassed by his action. "Uh, sorry. You just looked like you needed a hug."

Musing to himself, Riku stared off into the distance. He tilted his face towards Sora and gave him a tentative smile. "Now I guess I know why people like them. Hugs, I mean."

Sora felt his heart wrench at those words. So _that's_ why Riku hadn't reacted. He wasn't sure how. "Here, let's try it again," Sora offered, feeling a little awkward as he took a pace forward and brought his arms up to embrace Riku from the front, "Just do what I'm doing."

After a minute of silence, Riku's arms moved timidly to encircle Sora's slight body. Sora smiled in triumph and squeezed Riku tighter to convey his happiness. Suddenly, Sora felt a warm face pressed into the crook of his neck, and he squeaked in surprise. Riku's head lifted from its spot, and he mumbled an apology.

"No, it's okay. You just took me by surprise," Sora replied, unsure of why he felt sad that Riku had moved away.

"Does that…I mean, can I?" Riku requested softly, feeling hot all of a sudden.

Gathering what he meant, Sora nodded and smiled.

Riku exhaled and leant down to his previous position. His soft hair tickled Sora's tanned skin and without really registering, his lips pressed against Sora's neck. The edges of Riku's mouth turned upwards as he relaxed into the comfortable embrace.

Sora, on the other hand, was mentally panicking. _'Does he realise he's kissing me? And why does it make me feel so…happy? Why don't I want to move?'_

"Hmm, Sora?" Riku hummed against Sora's neck, not noticing the way that the shorter boy shivered.

"Yeah, Riku?" Sora murmured into Riku's chest.

"I think I like hugging. Can we do this again?" he asked, a tone of shyness entering his voice.

Sora let himself laugh unrestrained. This timid side of Riku was almost cute. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Riku apologised, lifting his head and looking away in embarrassment.

"Riku, you don't have to ask to hug. It's just something you do. We're friends, after all," Sora said, wondering why Riku was lacking so much knowledge about basic things.

"We're friends already? But we've only known each other less than a day. I didn't realise it could happen so quickly," Riku exclaimed, his eyes widening at Sora's words.

"Well…I like you. Don't you like me?"

Riku locked gazes with the cheerful boy in front of him, and replied, "Yes, of course I do."

"So we're friends. That's basically how it works," Sora smiled, his hands clutching the back of Riku's shirt.

The older male's eyes were unfocused as he adapted to the idea. Once he had collected his thoughts, he gave Sora a dazzling smile. Being friends with Sora, although unexpected, made him feel as though all his good luck had come at once. Lazily returning Riku's smile, Sora closed his eyes.

"Oh, right! Friends!" Riku said, pleased that he finally recognised the proper social cue.

Leaning his face down, Riku brought one hand up to cup Sora's cheek. Sora's eyes fluttered and he felt momentary confusion at Riku's action before shrugging it off. Riku probably didn't realise friends weren't generally that intimate with one another.

That was when Riku bent down enough to capture Sora's lips with his own. At the unexpected pressure, Sora's eyes shot open. Riku's full lips moved against his own and Sora felt a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he smiled happily into the kiss. Riku smiled as well and pulled himself closer to the brown-haired boy.

A tirade of emotions converged on the edge of Sora's consciousness and he almost began to return the soft kiss before the reality of the situation struck him.

Shock coursed through his body and made him take a deliberate step away from Riku. Riku's arms dropped to his sides and he looked at Sora in question. "Isn't that what friends do?" he inquired, hoping and praying that Sora was about to smile cheerfully and nod.

Unfortunately, the gods didn't seem to hear. Sora shook his head slowly and looked over to the side. "Riku, that's only what _girlfriends_ and _boyfriends_ do. Friends just hug."

"Can't we be one of those then?" Riku questioned, feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He knew Sora would shake his head before the smaller boy had even heard the question. "No…I don't think we can. Um, I should probably go now. Mum must be wondering where I am by now."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Riku nodded in acceptance and began to lead the way back to his front door. As Sora walked through his doorway with only a small 'Goodbye, Riku', Riku knew that he had just lost the only friend he'd ever had.

Later that Night

Sora groaned and rolled over. Why couldn't he get to sleep? His body was exhausted but his mind just wouldn't stop thinking about the day's events. He felt terrible about leaving Riku on such a sour note, but he knew that if he saw the silver-haired man anymore, he couldn't help but want something more, something much deeper than friendship.

He definitely couldn't let that happen. What would his friend's think? What would his parents think? What would _Roxas_ think? Everyone else's hatred he could possibly bear, but the thought of Roxas hating him, was absolutely unbearable.

Groaning again into his unfortunate pillow, Sora briefly considered taking a walk to tire himself enough to sleep peacefully. However, before he could, a knock resounded on his door.

Sora pulled himself up from his bed and walked over to the doorway. Who would be disturbing him at this time of night? Opening the door, he saw his own face peer back at him through the darkness.

"Roxas?"

"Who else, you idiot. Come on, let me in," his brother retorted, pushing past Sora to go and sit on his rumpled bed.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Sora pondered, wondering if his brother was also having problems.

"Shouldn't you?" Roxas shot back, crossing his arms defensively.

Sora said nothing in response and instead, went and joined his brother on his bed. Roxas stared resolutely at the wall for a few minutes before he sighed and turned to Sora. "Sora, I need to tell you something."

Biting back his automatic reflex to ask his brother if he was pregnant, Sora managed a nod. "You see…well, Axel and I…we've kind of…together," Roxas breathed, struggling to correctly word his message.

"You've together? What did you do together?" Sora tried to clarify, trying to make sense of things in his already over-exhausted mind.

"No, I mean. We're together. Axel and I," Roxas whispered, waiting for his brother's reaction.

"Together….wait, _together_?! When did this happen?" Sora spluttered, unable to imagine his temperamental brother paired with his laidback friend.

"Yesterday. It came as a surprise to me as well. I didn't even realise that I liked him back until he just kissed me out of nowhere. At first I was really angry that he even tried something like that on me, but afterwards, I had to admit that it really wasn't that bad," Roxas explained, looking uncharacteristically abashed as he remembered the previous day's events.

Sora sat there in silence, his views all attempting to make themselves the loudest as he tried to think. However, the loudest thing that his mind was saying was that if Roxas liked another guy, then wasn't it okay if Sora did too, right? That had been the only thing stopping him from accepting Riku, the thought that his brother might never understand or accept his feelings for another male.

"Sora? Please don't hate me over this. I know it's a shock but, you know, it's not that much different. Axel's around here all the time anyway," Roxas tried, interpreting his brother's strange silence as resentment.

As Sora returned to reality, Roxas was holding his breath, knowing that the next few words Sora spoke would tell him exactly how he felt.

"Hmm, Roxas. Guess what?" Sora said, turning to smile straight at his anxious brother, "I think I like another guy too."

That was obviously the thing Roxas least expected Sora to say, if the way his jaw dropped and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline was any indication. "Are you kidding? We're _both_ gay? Mum's going to be so angry that she won't get any grandchildren."

As they both considered Roxas's last statement, they burst into fits of laughter. "Knowing Mum, that'll be the only thing she'll be unhappy about," Sora laughed, only half-joking.

Recovering first, Roxas smiled in joy. He was ecstatic that Sora had accepted them, and to hear that Sora was even in the same boat seemed too good to be true. He reached forwards and quickly hugged his still chuckling brother, squeezing him tightly before leaning away.

"So, who is it?" Roxas asked, before making a face, "Please don't tell me its someone like Xemnas. That guy is way too creepy."

"You'll just have to wait and see," Sora teased, secretly not wanting to confess it was Riku while his brother still held such a negative view of him, "But no, it's definitely not Xemnas."

"Ok. Good. 'Cause if it was, you have a really bad taste in men. So, have you told him already?"

Sora's face suddenly went panicked as he remembered the way he had left a sad-looking Riku in his doorway without even giving him a proper goodbye. Riku probably thought he hated him. "Oh, no! Roxas, I have to find him! He thinks I hate him because he kissed me!"

"Sora, it can wait till tomorrow, you know. The world isn't going to end," Roxas remarked, dryly.

Shaking his head frantically, Sora argued, "No way, Roxas! I need to find him, he's probably really upset over today and I need to go tell him the truth."

Roxas couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Sora look so determined about something and he was surprised to find himself nodding. "Okay, fine. Go. But you have to be back before Mum realises you're gone."

Grinning crazily, Sora shot up and gave his brother another short hug before heading towards the door.

"Wait, Sora. You're going to give him the wrong idea if you see him like that!" Roxas called out, effectively stopping him mid-stride.

He looked down to see himself clad only in dark boxers and blushed. The thought of Riku seeing him like this was completely embarrassing. But maybe not altogether unwelcome.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Sora delved into the closet drawer to pull free a plain shirt and a crumpled pair of jeans he'd stuffed in there a while ago because hanging them up in the wardrobe was just too much effort.

"Okay, you're good to go now. Your hair looked like you rubbed about 50 balloons against it, and you just look like you've been mugged. But hey, you look like that normally so that's just expected," Roxas taunted, grinning from his position on Sora's bed.

"Thanks, bro," Sora said, only a little bit sarcastic as he darted down towards the door and out into the chilly night.

Reaching Riku's house in record time, Sora panted and tried not to feel freaked out by the outward appearance of the mansion at nighttime. Riku definitely had to do some D.I.Y. work, and maybe then Sora wouldn't mind the house so much.

He turned the doorknob and almost expected it to be locked. Of course it wasn't, Riku had probably forgotten again. Letting himself in, Sora gazed around the dark room, almost waiting for Riku to suddenly materialise in front of him.

Where should he start? Hmm, he might have gone to the kitchen afterwards? Well it was worth a look anyway. Unfortunately, the kitchen was completely empty except for the untouched cake that Riku had resurrected earlier today. The knife was still embedded in the cake which made Sora realise that Riku hadn't even come back to cover the cake after he had left.

The thought made Sora feel even guiltier than he had previously, and he decided that he definitely had a lot to make up to Riku when all of this was over. Figuring that since it was just after midnight, Riku was probably in his bedroom, sleeping, Sora headed back to the stairs.

Climbing the left staircase, Sora noted that the blankets he had battled two nights prior were also missing, presumably filling the cupboard they had rested in before Sora had disturbed their delicate balance.

Sora finally reached the door that lead to the room he had first seen Riku in, and held his breath. Deciding that it was probably best to be polite, Sora softly knocked on the door, hurting his sensitive knuckles in the process.

There was no response and after trying again, Sora impatiently barged into the room. What he had to tell Riku was much more important than social etiquette at the moment.

The room was dimly lit by the faithful lamp, and Sora was surprised to see that Riku wasn't asleep in his bed like he had anticipated. Maybe this room wasn't his after all? But then again, why would there be a lit lamp in an unoccupied room?

Stepping further in, Sora noticed that a limp hand was dangling over the arm of the high-backed chair. He felt relief that he had located Riku after all. Walking over, Sora was about to awaken him when he noticed that Riku was unnaturally still. As he looked closer, he realised that Riku's chest wasn't even moving.

Realisation struck him and he brought his hands to his mouth to prevent him from screaming.

Dead.

Riku was dead.

Sora felt the tears well up in his eyes and a sob escaped his throat. This just wasn't possible. Things didn't happen like this!

His tear-filled eyes failed to see that Riku's eyes had snapped open at Sora's audible sob, and the knife that Riku had been holding, hidden from sight in his other hand was forgotten as he stood.

In under a second Riku had wrapped his strong arms around the crying boy. "Sora, what's wrong?"

Sora's muddled thoughts of horror and loss came to a halt as soon as the arms encircled him. Snapping his head up to see just who was holding him, Sora felt his heart stop for an instant. "Riku?"

"Of course it's me. Sora, what's going on?" Riku said, anxiety in his voice as he watched the tears falling from Sora's normally bright cerulean eyes.

Sora ducked his head and smiled. Thank goodness. Riku was alive. A new thought struck him and Sora threw a weak punch at Riku's chest. "What did you do that for? Sitting that still, I thought that you were dead, you bastard."

"Dead?" Riku made a low noise of understanding as he finally realised what had happened, "Sora, I thought that someone had broken in. I was waiting to catch them off guard, that's why I wasn't moving."

"But I _knocked!_" Sora exclaimed, roughly brushing away his lingering tears in anger.

"I didn't hear it. The wood of that door is practically soundproof," Riku explained softly, feeling like a monster for making Sora cry, "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad."

They stood together in the comforting quiet of the room, the only noise being Sora's heavy breathing as he tried to slow his racing heart.

When Sora thought Riku had died, he lost everything.

He didn't want to feel such a terrible feeling ever again.

Once Riku had deemed Sora calm enough to talk properly, he asked him the question he'd wanted to ask ever since he realised that Sora was in his room. "Sora, why are you here? It's night outside."

A small smile made its way onto Sora's face and although it wasn't anything like Sora's familiar cheerful grin, it was close enough for Riku at the moment. Sora replied slowly, as though he was trying to find the exact words he wanted, "Well, you know what you said before about wanting to be…boyfriends?"

Riku nodded solemnly, it had been an idiotic mistake on his part. How could he have thought that Sora wanted a relationship like that with him after only knowing him for a day?

"I pushed you away because I was worried about what the others would think. But my brother came to me tonight and told me that he was actually dating his best friend. His _male_ best friend. And so…since I know that they'll always be on my side, it's okay now."

Feeling confused, Riku could only nod. So that short, blonde boy that shared many of the same features as Sora but none of the same personality traits was dating his best friend. Most likely that tall, redheaded one that seemed so protective of them both. So…what did that have to do with Sora coming to him in the night?

Paying attention to the last sentence that Sora had said, Riku voiced his bemusement, "What's okay now?"

Sora's cheeks turned a darker red and Riku watched as Sora fidgeted beneath his gaze. "If…you still want to be…boyfriends and all, then…we can."

His word's clicked in Riku's mind and his eyebrows rose in utter surprise. Well, _this_ was unexpected. It was only when Sora stuttered out his next words that Riku realised he probably didn't look all that happy, "But you know, uhh…if you've changed your mind than…that's okay too, I guess."

A smile pulled its way onto his lips and Riku looked down at Sora affectionately. "Sora…"

At the sound of his name, Sora glanced up warily. There was no way he could deal with it if Riku said no. Too many things had happened today. Surely, he'd explode from any more revelations.

"Sora, there's nothing that would make me happier, than to be together with you," Riku said, a completely joyful smile emerging as Sora lost his anxious expression and began to smile that heart-warming cheerful smile that Riku had come to adore in just one day.

Sora's arms squeezed so tightly around his middle that Riku had trouble drawing breath. At that moment, Riku didn't really care. He had Sora in his arms; nothing else was really all that important when compared with that.

Bringing a hand up to caress Sora's cheek, the younger male's eyes fluttered shut as Riku's face drew closer. He couldn't help but smile; this time he knew for sure that he was doing the correct thing.

And in the fluttering light of the lamp, in a second storey room of a lonely, old mansion, they kissed.

Epilogue

**Three Years Later**

"What? Why aren't you coming out tonight?" Roxas asked, annoyed that his brother was ditching him on one of the best nights of the year.

Sora grinned, knowing that his brother forgot each year how much significance Halloween held for him. "It's the night Riku and I met, remember? We always spend it together."

Understanding dawned on Roxas's face and he looked apologetically at his brother, "Oh right. Sorry. I always forget."

"That's the Alzheimer's kicking in, Roxas," Sora laughed, messing his brother's hair affectionately.

"You do realise that if I have Alzheimer's, you probably have it as well. And considering your normal intelligence, if you have Alzheimer's, we probably shouldn't let you out of sight," Roxas retorted, fixing his hair by running his hands through it.

"I do believe that's where I come in," interrupted a voice from behind Sora, and warm arms slipped around his waist.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, turning to face his long time boyfriend.

"Sorry, the door was open, so I just let myself in. You were taking much too long to get to my apartment, so I came to see if something was wrong," Riku reasoned, resting his chin on Sora's hair.

Sora laughed, secretly ecstatic that Riku had made the effort to come all the way to check on him. "Well blame Roxas. He would only go out tonight if he was wearing the shoes with the black detail and red laces. We found them an hour later, sitting under a pile of bank statements and old receipts."

"They're my favourites…" Roxas mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms.

Riku chuckled at the dynamics between the two brothers, fighting was frequent and rarely ever serious between them.

"So when is Axel getting here?" Sora queried, knowing that his brother's red-haired boyfriend was never too far from his _'one and only true love'_.

"Who said Axel is coming over? Maybe I'm just going to spend some time watching romance movies with Mum," Roxas grumbled, still a little annoyed by Sora's previous shoe insult.

"I feel hurt, Roxy. You'd rather watch boring movies with your Mum than spend time with me?" a new voice whined, causing Roxas to pivot in time to be embraced and spun around by his overzealous boyfriend.

"Axel! Put. Me. Down. Now!" Roxas protested, struggling in the redhead's arms.

Sora glanced up at Riku and smiled, "I don't think we're wanted around here anymore. Come on, let's go."

Riku nodded and released Sora, offering him his hand instead. With a grin, Sora grasped the warm hand and Riku's hand squeezed his own, showing Sora how much just simple handholding meant to the silver-haired man.

As they vacated the apartment, they heard Axel say in delight, "I have you all to myself now, Roxy. How about we have a bubble bath!"

"No! Let's just watch a movie or something," Roxas shot back, his voice sounding a little stressed at the thought of having to deal with a sugar-filled Axel for the night.

The last thing Sora heard before they were out of earshot were Roxas's panicked words, "That's laundry detergent, you idiot, not bubble mix!"

Chuckling to himself, Riku looked down at Sora and said, "I can see why Roxas wants to share an apartment with you. Most of the time Axel is nice, a little annoying at times but overall, tolerable. Axel at Halloween, or any other time he gets his hands on sugar…let's not go there."

"Unfortunately this _does_ mean that you can't move in with me until Roxas learns to deal with Axel on a sugar high. But hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder right?" Riku finished, sending an optimistic look towards his boyfriend.

"Yeah. I'm just happy that you moved out of that house to be closer by. Although a lot of things do, that house just doesn't grow on you. You're lucky I like you so much, or else you'd probably be spending Halloween alone in that scary, old house," Sora joked, pressing himself closer to Riku.

"Hmm, you know, I hope you haven't forgotten that it's my unofficial birthday in two days. Because I won't let you get away without a gift," Riku said, good-naturedly.

"Just because I forgot last year and ended up telling you I was your gift, doesn't mean I'll forget again. And it's unofficial anyway, normally people only get one birthday a year," Sora defended.

"Well, because I'm such a nice person," Riku grinned, "I wouldn't mind if you gave me last year's present again this year. And I especially wouldn't mind if you gave it to me two days early."

Sora's amused laughter echoed loudly off the houses around them. Sending a cheerful smile at Riku, he took off into a sprint, quickly leaving the other behind. "Riku! You're such a pervert!" Sora called over his shoulder, "And I'll only give you your present early if you catch me!"

Smiling at Sora's challenge, Riku began to sprint after him.

For Sora, Riku had removed himself from the years of self-inflicted solitude.

For Sora, Riku had stepped outside of the mansion's rusted gates and braved the world.

Just to be closer to Sora, Riku had painfully rejoined society; suffering through countless awkward conversations and embarrassed silences as he anxiously wondered what he should say.

Because, in the end, he had saved Riku from a lonely life filled only with empty halls and dusty cobwebs.

Sora was Riku's Accidental Saviour.


End file.
